12/4/2023 0 Comments Slice of life meaning![]() ![]() The mind is triggered and much, much more than a single moment’s detail is then born from its starting point on the film to the incomprehensible and immeasurable vastness of the human imagination. Perhaps a buffalo hunt once crossed over this path. Looking at a negative from the late 19th century of some landscape in the American Midwest, one can see things, in the mind’s eye, that are not presently in the photograph. What accompanied that image was even more magical. ![]() If a still shot provided by Fratelli Allinari could bring so much power, what would happen if the picture could move? While at the time the primary use of photography was for documentary purposes, there was still a magic in harnessing a millisecond of time and space on, more or less, a sheet of paper as mobile as the individual who carried it. Just like music, painting, sculpture and prose, photography has always had a role in artistic expression. The word “movie” obviously is a short form of “moving pictures.” Perhaps with this in mind, one can understand the real reason behind what makes a great movie. If you want real life, then get off your couch and go outside. This isn’t supposed to be real life! This is a movie. You could see the cables! Then, the next thought crossed my mind: so what? Why does that matter? As she was lifting up Spencer Tracy so nonchalantly, and as the extras in the background made their respective scenes to the sound of Tracy’s wails of surprise, you could see, even in the black and white, the faint reflection of nylon cables tied to his belt, no doubt harnessed behind him.Īt first, I shook my head, disappointed at the lack of attention to detail and the “cheesy” nature of the mishap. One small nuance in the scene stood out to me. In an effort to validate her testimonial, she lifts the plaintiff (Spencer Tracy) into the air over her head, and the entire scene becomes frantic and rather comic. One scene in that film shows a woman who was called in to a court to provide expert input as to the abilities of women. While it should be noted that I consider the movie overrated, I must admit that it opened my eyes to the secret. That film, unexpectedly, was the perennially favored Hepburn-Tracy picture, Adam’s Rib. Otherwise, it becomes the indulgent expression of a director.) This is a principle I didn’t quite understand until last summer, when one particular film shed light to which I had been previously been blinded. At the same time, they are meant to let us into the worldview of it maker. They were meant to be a pleasure and treat to the viewer, like cake–an escape from their own life’s realness and into the vivid reality of an imagined and shared world. These are extensions that the film’s creator asks or invites the viewer to accept. They were instead meant to be extensions of the life of the viewer, a reality within their imagination, but not true anywhere else. Movies are, I believe Hitchcock meant, not supposed to be a mirror of life, a piece of regularity sliced out of life (whether yours or someone else’s) and thrust before your eyes. But how would their completely different styles be reconciled by that definition? Simply. Certainly Truffaut, whose masterpiece, The 400 Blows, was as dramatic and cold as movie can be, would have agreed with Hitchcock. It goes beyond entertainment, and it also goes beyond the mundane authenticity of real life. My understanding follows that premise, but goes a little deeper. Alfred Hitchcock, considered worldwide as one of the greatest film directors in history, once said this to French director and contemporary François Truffaut: “Some films are slices of life, mine are slices of cake.” The consensus is that he meant he was more interested in providing entertainment than reality he would sacrifice plausibility for excitement, he would provide thrills before tears.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |